The Flowerchild Dwelling - Guest Post

Im very honored to have Kelly Ann as one of my sponsors this month.  I stumbled across her blog not too long ago actually and instantly felt a connection.  I really think we are kindred spirits somewhere along the way, at least in the way we see the world.  Everything I have seen of her, I feel connected to.  If you ever want to be simply inspired, visit her blog!

Hello there! I’m Kelly Ann from The Flowerchild Dwelling... and I am absolutely delighted to be posting here. Laura is one of my very favourite bloggers, and I think she is a true gem. :)

Today... I want you all to a take a break. From work, school, stress. Just for a moment. I think we tend to get so caught up in going, going, going 24/7, that we forget that life is supposed to be fun and relaxing sometimes. So, imagine this awesome day with me...

I’m throwing a party. For all of you. Not just any party. But a party that takes place in the most beautiful, sunny, warm, golden field. In the very center of the field, surrounded by dried grass and mustard flowers, there is a long, wooden table... with old dishes, bottles filled with wildflowers, and food & drink - a feast fit for a king. There’s a small cluster of trees a few feet away, with a hammock, and blankets, and stacks & stacks of old books. Off in the distance, you hear the faint roar of the ocean. The day is filled with laughing, eating, drinking, photographing, sleeping, and exploring. As the sun starts to set, lanterns are hung from the trees and the canopy over our table is all lit up. We all dance and laugh and sing as the stars fill up the sky and the moon shines down upon in all her glory.

To me... that is the perfect day. And I want every single one of you there. What would you bring?

This wonderful day needs a soundtrack, and since I’m obsessed with playlists, I put together the perfect collection of songs just for the occasion. So, throughout your day today, or throughout your week, whenever you’re feeling anxious, worried, or stressed, just listen to these songs and remember our wonderful party in the golden field. xo.

Makes My Heart Sing Monday

We are in such an exciting yet nerve wrecking part in life right now.  The offer we put in for our house was accepted without any counter offers!!!  So now it is the real deal!!!!!!!  We just have to go through a rigerous loan approval process which makes me all sorts of nervous.  Not really about getting accepted, but all of the phone calls and paper work involved.  Ive never liked talking on the phone to people I dont know.  But Ill get through it.  My brain has been so utterly full lately that this weekend I thought I was going to burst.  But I spent yesterday just leisurely working.  Still getting things done but in a peaceful manner.  Ive been so go go go that I just have to slow down!

So, in light of the reality that we may very well be getting our house, my monday post is inspired by things i love in home decor.  click on the images to veiw the source.

1. love love love this needlepoint, so cheery and colorful!

Source: kellymccaleb.tumblr.com via Veronica on Pinterest

2. love this couple, they have amazing style.  and this photo makes me daydream about our new fireplace!

Source: mustardandsage.wordpress.com via Laura on Pinterest

3. i have two rustic large blue doors that i would love to do something like this with!

Source: designspongeonline.com via Laura on Pinterest

4. in the with the colors and style of this home.

Source: thompsonfamily.typepad.com via Laura on Pinterest

5. i dream of having a desk space this organized!  maybe a bit more colorful, but you get the idea!

Source: home-designing.com via Laura on Pinterest

6. and the same for my craft room!  love the creative organization.

Source: decor8blog.com via Laura on Pinterest

7. one of the things i am most excited about this new house is lovely window lighting!  i dont have that in the house we are in now... i cant wait to photograph clothing in it!

Source: floddertjeblog.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

8.  all of the colors in this house make me so happy!  not really the prints, but the colors together.

Source: makeroomforliving.blogspot.com via Marie on Pinterest

9. i think this is going to be out motto for a while after we move!

Source: etsy.com via Laura on Pinterest

And, you should pop over to O Bella Naturals blog to see a guest post I did about the relationship between and mother and daughter.  It was fun trading guest posts this week with Betsy!

Ill be back later today with one amazing guest post!!!

PEACE,

Laura

We Three Pilgrims - DIY Bunting

 My next sponsor guest post this the adorable Paige from We Three Pilgrims.  I stumbled across her blog a while back after seeing one of her comments on my blog and I instantly fell in love.  She is one of the most prettiest girls Ive ever seen, she has a big love for christ and her family, and she is an amazing designer and photographer.  I highly recommend checking this beauty out!

blog // etsy

Hi friends! I'm Paige from we three pilgrims. I love Laura's blog! She's an incredibly creative and fun person, and I am super glad to be here sharing this tutorial with you. This is an easy and fast way to sew a strand of bunting. Welcome spring into your space with something pretty!

1. Collect your materials: you'll need some pretty fabric, coordinating double fold bias tape (a 4 yd. package), a small circular plate or saucer, a piece of paper and pencil, scissors or pinking shears, a fabric marking pen (air or water soluble), pins, and a sewing machine. 

2. Place the plate/saucer on your paper and trace the circle. Cut the circle out.

3. Fold the circle in half, and then fold it in half again. Cut along one fold, leaving you with a folded half-circle. That fold marks the center.

4. Open your bias tape, and notice the creases left over from the way it was wrapped around the cardboard. Starting at one end, count the creases until you find the fourth. Using your fabric marking pen, mark that fourth crease, and then skip one, marking every other crease. Your last marked crease should also be the fourth from the other end. There should be twelve marks in all for a four yard package of bias tape.

5. Using your half-circle pattern and fabric marking pen, mark out and cut twelve half-circles out of your material. Pinking shears are great for this! The ends will end up nicely frayed, not stringy. Using the fold in the center of your half-circle, mark the center at the top of each piece you cut from the fabric.

6. Open the bias tape and place the half-circles inside, matching the center with the marked folds. Pin them in place.

7. Sew the bias tape closed with a straight stitch, making sure to sew close to the edge so that the half-circles are secure inside the tape's fold. The trick for sewing a straight line down the bias tape is to let the machine do the work of pulling it through; just guide it straight with your fingers.

8. Once you are finished, trim your threads, remove any marks left from your marking pen, and press. Put your bunting up somewhere pretty! And also make sure you tell at least ten people you made it.

I hope you all enjoy this tutorial, and please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions! xo

Garage Sale Day

Our garage sale yesterday was a big success!  We sold most of the good stuff and I couldnt be happier with the outcome.  And my best friend did it with me, so it was like hanging out all day, minus the crazyness of it all.  But there were such sweet moments that made it much more than just a garage sale...

A friend of a friend brought some puppies to give away which made Isabel's day.  She was so thrilled to hold these puppies, it was the sweetest thing ever.

I love it when she makes this smile, but its even more cute right now b/c she is missing three teeth!!!

we had five tables full of stuff plus two racks of clothes and a huge blanket on the ground for more clothes...

Shelley's husband, her mom and my dad all visited with us for a while...

our very good friends came by with the whole family.  it was such a delight, they are all the sweetest people in the world.  the two younger daughters even bought stuff for themselves with their own saved money, it was the sweetest thing.  i was super excited that rose loved this old bunny painting i did, it was so her!

 

my adorable daddy!!!

and Xavier is almost to much cutest to handle right now.  he has decided to be my buddy and i just love it when he says my name.  his curls are to die for and his sweet personality is just amazing.

All in all it was a great day with great friends, and got us one step closer to our house dream coming true!

PEACE,

Laura

O Bella Naturals - Embracing Your Style

Im excited today to bring you one of my sponsors from this month, Betsy of O Bella Naturals.  She is one of my favorite people I have come to know in this online world.  I value the way she lives her life and raises her daughter (now daugters)... She just had a little new one named Ellie... so so precious.  You can see her beautiful birth on her blog.  Betsy creates the most amazing natural body care products Ive ever used.  Im hooked on her soap for life.  And she also makes one of a kind accessories including found river stone jewelry and screenprinted hemp wraps... She is just a very special girl, and its a special time in her life right now, I encourage everyone to take a chance to check her out!

blog // etsy //  twitter // facebook

Here is a little something on embracing your style at home from Betsy.

Embracing Your Style

It has taken me many years to learn to embrace the style that is uniquely mine. After hearing for years that I was style-challenged, I ditched the person telling me these lies and learned to love my taste.




Inspiration comes from many different sources, but it's ultimately translated through me and into whatever I'm doing. I feel it's the same for everyone. No two styles are alike, even if one is modeled after the other. I encourage you to find your source of inspiration and embrace your style.

I recently took on the task of restyling my husband and I's room, even just bits and pieces, transforming corners and nooks to create a space that's lovely and calming to be in. I think it's so important to have your room be a sort of sanctuary. Where the stress of the day can melt away and have space to be you.



I tend to gravitate more towards rustic decor, soft lighting, candles, sheer curtains, natural woods, and a quiet place to sit.



Though our home is temporary, I hope that these little restyles will shape how I decorate our future home where our kids will grow.

After sourcing many inspiring photos, here's how what our space is turning into.

A quiet place to sit.

Lots and lots of candles.

Soft, sheer curtains.

Rustic decorations and natural woods.

My next addition is twinkly white lights inspired by this photo.

If I can do it, you can do it too. Find the space to be you.

Giddy & Excited

The last few days have been a whirlwind to say the least.  It feels like so much has happened, and its only the beginning.  We made an offer on the house today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been really wonderful and strange how everything up to this point has just fallen into place.  Like pieces to a puzzle.  And the moments we thought we didnt have the right piece, it was just the one next to it.  And then it fit!  It almost feels like we have been led to this house.  I cant really explain it.  And I feel like my mom is with us through this.  I know she would be soooo happy to be here during this time in our lives in real life, but I feel like she is here right by our side helping us along the way.  I think she is working her little angel magic right now in a big big way!

I have a feeling that the next few weeks to few months, may be out of this world crazy.  So bare with me if I go absent, or just plain nuts and crazy!  ha ha.  It might happen!  And I hope to keep myself sane enough through it all to continue making new pretties and adding stuff to the shop.  One day at a time.  And I know this is all Ive been talking about lately, probably pretty boring, but its the biggest thing next to marrying my boy that Ive ever done!!!  But if it really happens and all goes right, I truly believe so many good things will come of being in this house.  It is going to be a magical transformation, in our lives, in our hearts, and who knows, maybe even with Violet Bella & Skyline Fever!!!  More room means, more organized and less stressful creating space and time!!!  Oh my gosh I cannot wait!

So... this does not mean it is ours yet.  It is still just the beginning part of the process.  But we did sign about 10+ pages today stating we are wanting to go through with it!  Ive been warned that the hard part is just around the corner, and we will be mobbed with phone calls and paper work.  We will just have to breathe and take it one step at a time.  My grandparents came up today to look at the house and they both approve!!!  Which meant so much to me.

Big big day tomorrow getting ready for the garage sale & filling orders.  If you didnt see my last post about my sale, you must go check it out, 25% off on all of my best best stuff!  I added over 20 more items this morning!!!

PEACE,

Laura

SALE SALE SALE

I just put 42 of my very best items in my shop on sale for 25% off for the next few days only!!!  In efforts to build our down payment for the house!!!!!!  Go see what is in the sale section.  Refunds will be made after purchase, the items do not reflect the sale price :)

Etsy violetbella

Happy shopping!  You will know where every penny spent went to :)

PEACE,

Laura

Life. Daydreaming. Pretties. Plans.

I cannot believe that yet another month is almost come and gone again.  Everyday for the past month I have spent most likely half of those hours daydreaming about our house.  I got tired of waiting for my tax guy, and was recommended by a friend to just do them myself, at least to get a rough estimate number for a pre-approval, since you dont need the real deal for that part.  I have been checking my email just about every hour this week!  So now, the numbers are out there and it is in the hands of math to let us know if we can even be pre-approved for this little dream home.  The sad part is, for a self employed person, they average your last two years income... and last year, I was just starting my business and had to buy alot of supplies to get started, so my income was almost 0.  Not even joking!  So, even though I did well this year, on paper it will look like I did half of what I really did!  Im so worried this is what is going to keep us from getting it.  Sucks so bad to know that I am such a hard worker and have the success to prove it, but in the end, the math is what matters.

Aside from the house news... Im so glad spring is starting to happen.  It doesnt look like it yet, but it is starting to feel like it.  I was able to wear a tshirt, skirt and legwarmers the other day and it was delightful!  I love the versatility of my hubby's stylish tee's...  this birdie one is a long tunic and I love wearing it over leggings, but it looks great tucked in a skirt too!  And Im quite obsessed with my striped Mountain Girl Clothing leg warmers.  That girl makes my legs very very happy!

I added a few more goodies to the shop this morning.  This style of earrings Ive had in my shop forever, but made them in a few more color schemes.  Love them!  I love the color combo of the new locket, and the Henna Hand necklace is just gorgeous!!!

And are these not the cutest little nesting dolls ever???  There is a dark blue one too.  They are wooden and look just like a real little Matryoshka doll!  Love...

So far Ive got almost everything priced for the garage sale this weekend.  Still have some things to go through yet.  We have bags and piles all over the house!  Cant wait to get it all out of here.  It feels really good to be cleaning out also.  There is a letting go that must take place when getting rid of stuff.

I have a long to do list of work related stuff still to do in the next day or so.  And in the middle of it all, Im determined to stay on top of my working out and eating right.  Today I made myself veggie pasta salad that I can munch on for a few days, it was soooo yummy!  And now that it is made, I wont have an excuse when I dont feel like taking the extra time to cook.  That is my biggest problem.  I get overwhelmed with what I am doing during the day, that I eat whatever is quick and easy.  It is time to change that!

Since it is getting close to the end of the month, I will be having a few guest posts from my awesome sponsors!!!  Go check them all out, they wouldnt be there if I didnt love them.  I think I wont have any for this next month, so I dont overload myself.  And I know I said I wasnt going to, but I just may have some paid sponsor spots starting in April.  So if you think you would like to be on the list send me a message!

PEACE,
Laura